California Leads 29 States in Lawsuit Against Meta

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a bipartisan coalition of 29 state attorneys general are litigating a major lawsuit against Meta in the Northern District of California. The trial alleges that Meta deliberately designed features such as autoplay and infinite scroll to hook young users and collected children's data without obtaining parental consent.

Chief Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is presiding over the proceedings, which are expected to last six to seven weeks. While Meta denies the claims, the states are seeking civil penalties and mandatory alterations to the company's algorithms. The court is utilizing an advisory jury to gauge community standards, although Judge Gonzalez Rogers retains the final legal decision.

This case is part of broader multidistrict litigation involving nearly 3,000 lawsuits against Meta, TikTok, Snap, and YouTube regarding harms to minors. Judge Gonzalez Rogers noted that the issues at play in the case impact the daily lives of the public across the involved states.